When this fan was used around 1960, it illustrated a hard-won accomplishment. For the first time since 1879, there were more than three African Americans in Congress. The four men depicted all hailed from urban districts in four different states, but they had a wide variety of legislative approaches. William Dawson worked behind the scenes, while “Mr. Civil Rights” Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., was an unapologetic activist. Charles Diggs combined reserved demeanor with impassioned advocacy, and Robert Nix, the junior member of the group, was a party loyalist.
